Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894-January 14, 1984) was the theater critic for The New York Times from 1925 to 1960. In his obituary, the Times called him "the most important reviewer of his time." November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle — indeed... The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by publisher Jack Doff, and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Atkinson was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, where as a boy he printed his own newspaper (using movable type), and planned a career in journalism. He graduated from Harvard University in 1917, and worked at The Springfield Daily News and The Boston Evening Transcript, where he was assistant to the drama critic. In 1922 he became the editor of the Times Book Review, and in 1925 the drama critic. Melrose is a city located in the Greater Boston metropolitan area and Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. ... The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ... Journalism is a discipline of collecting, verifying, analyzing and presenting information gathered regarding current events, including trends, issues and people. ... Harvard University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and a member of the Ivy League. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Atkinson quickly became known for his commitment to new kinds of theater—he was one of the first critical admirers of Eugene O'Neill—for his interest in all kinds of drama, including off-Broadway productions, and for his wit. In 1928 he said of the new play The Front Page, "No one who has ground his heels in the grime of a police headquarters press room will complain that this argot misrepresents the gentlemen of the press." Atkinson had covered the police beat for the Evening Transcript. Eugene ONeill Eugene Gladstone ONeill (New York City, October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953 in Boston) was an American playwright. ... Off-Broadway plays or musicals are performed in New York City in smaller theatres than Broadway, but larger than Off-Off-Broadway, productions. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Front Page was originally a play written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. ...

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Atkinson attempted to enlist in the Navy, but was refused. He requested a reassignment to war coverage, and the newspaper sent him to the front lines in China, where he covered the war with Japan until 1945. He stayed only briefly in New York before being sent to Moscow; his work as the Moscow correspondent for the Times earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1947. The Imperial Japanese Navy made its attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7, 1941. ... 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA:   listen?) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-04-13, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

After returning from the Soviet Union, Atkinson was reassigned to the drama desk, where he remained until his retirement in 1960. He is given much credit for the growth of Off-Broadway into a major theaterical force in the 1950s, and has been cited by many influential people in the theater as crucial to their careers. David Merrick's infamous spoof ad for Subways Are For Sleeping—in which he hired seven ordinary New Yorkers who had the same names as prominent drama critics to praise his musical—had to wait for Atkinson's retirement, because Merrick could not find anyone with the right name. There was only one Brooks Atkinson in New York City. 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... David Merrick (November 27, 1911 - April 25, 2000) was an American theatrical producer and director, associated with both musicals and dramas, brilliant successes and embarrassing flops. ... Subways Are For Sleeping is a Broadway musical produced by David Merrick with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. ...

References

• "Brooks Atkinson, 89, Dead; Key Voice in Drama 31 Years." The New York Times, January 15, 1984.